Nationalism is spurred by a country’s trials and tribulations, where personalities and events determine what would later be called “history”. People, for instance, who now serve as inspirations to us were once vital players who shaped what nationalism is today.

One such person is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known throughout the world as Mahatma (meaning “great soul”) Gandhi.

Who Is Gandhi?
Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India to a family of merchants. At age 13, Gandhi married Kasturba, a girl of the same age, in fulfillment of an arranged marriage.

At 19, Gandhi challenged caste tradition and left for England to study law. While studying, Gandhi read Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, which inspired his principle of nonviolence.

In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa where he stayed for 20 years. He became the first “colored” lawyer to make it to the bar in that country.

In 1894, Gandhi founded the Natal Indian Congress to advocate Indian rights and fight racism.

Gandhi returned to India in 1914 to campaign for home rule and for harmony among all classes and religious groups. He was imprisoned four times because of his dedication to Indian independence and the anti-racism cause. Gandhi became a leader in the Indian National Congress Party in 1919.

In 1930, Gandhi led a 320-kilometer march to the Indian Ocean to make their own salt in protest of British salt monopoly and the salt tax.

When India finally gained independence in 1947, Gandhi was disappointed by the violent separation of the country into India and Pakistan.

While Gandhi had always been opposed to the partition, the alternative, which was thought to be civil war between the Muslims of Pakistan and the Hindus of India, however, forced Gandhi to urge the Congress Party to accept the separation.

Gandhi went on hunger strike as a nonviolent protest against the bloodshed caused by the partition. He said that he would not eat until the violence stopped and India returned the 550 rupees it was hiding from Pakistan.

On January 30, 1948, the year after India gained independence, Gandhi was assassinated by a fellow Hindu, Nathuram Godse. Godse believed that Gandhi had betrayed the Hindu cause by agreeing to the partition.

Gandhi’s Legacy
In Indian and world history, Gandhi holds the legacy of championing the principle of nonviolent resistance.

Gandhi also developed the philosophy of “satyagraha” (meaning “truth force” in Sanskrit), which influenced Nelson Mandela in fighting apartheid in South Africa; and Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked for the civil rights of African-Americans in the United States.

In 2007, Gandhi’s birth anniversary, the United Nations declared October 2 as the International Day of Nonviolence. The annual observance seeks to celebrate Gandhi’s “novel mode of mass mobilization and nonviolent action”. It is a “reflection of the universal respect for Gandhi and the enduring relevance of his philosophy”.